Mission Viejo man wins Rose Parade float design contest

Architect Richard Burrow of Mission Viejo is "colorful," according to his son Austin, 21. Burrow shows off his award-winning 2013 Rose Parade float. The theme is, "Oh, the Places You'll Go," inspired by the Dr. Seuss book, and Burrow's "Under the Sea" design was the top pick by Burbank officials.CINDY YAMANAKA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Dance in a bear suit? Check. Carry the canopy of lights above Cinderella during the Main Street Electrical Parade? Check.

Craft alphabet stamps in the shape of castles? Create a grown-up version of a Lincoln Logs cabin? Design Rose Parade floats? Check, check and check.

It's that last one that has the Mission Viejo resident excited. He recently found out his latest float design – a child on an undersea journey – was selected by the Burbank Tournament of Roses Association for its 2013 Rose Parade float. Next year's theme is "Oh the Places You'll Go," based on the Dr. Seuss book.

"Being an architect, I like to draw," Burrow, 53, said. "I remember seeing the floats and thinking, 'That'd be fun to do.' What was attractive to me is I didn't have to abide by a lot of the rules you have to abide by as an architect. You don't have to be realistic."

Proficient at math in high school, Burrow followed his sister to Cal State Fullerton as a math major. He took a theater class there and saw a job posting for a summer Disneyland job; thus the Main Street parade gig – and a few others, like the dancing bear – for three summers.

Eventually, Burrow's creative side won out over his math skills: "After a few years I was like, 'Why am I doing this? I don't know what I'm going to do with it,'" he said.

He shifted to architecture and Cal Poly Pomona, where he also joined the university's Rose Float club. The group collaborates with a team from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to design, construct and decorate a Rose Parade float each year. They are one of six organizations that build their own floats rather than contract with float construction companies.

The year he graduated, 1983, Burrow submitted his first two designs to his alma mater. Both were rejected. Burrow left float design behind and concentrated on building a successful career as an architect, eventually starting his own firm and designing projects ranging from room additions in San Juan Capistrano to a custom log home in Colorado.

Fast forward nearly three decades to an unfriendly economy. Burrow, without much work, was missing the creative process.

"I remember watching the parade and thinking, 'I can do better than some of the designs, you know, I can do better than that,'" he said. "I remember saying a little prayer asking for a design project. And I thought it was going to be a custom home or something, but the answer to my prayer was a float."

In 2011, Burrow submitted three fresh designs to Cal Poly Pomona for the 2012 parade. Again, he lost. This year, he decided to expand his options. He submitted two new designs to Burbank, and split his 2011 designs between South Pasadena and Sierra Madre, two other cities that build their own Rose Parade floats. The designs took four to six hours to sketch, Burrow said.

The contests required simple, black and white sketches that could be accompanied by short descriptions. Designers weren't paid for their submissions, though the winner in Burbank receives two tickets to the Rose Parade.

The Burbank association received 71 submissions that were whittled to seven, said group historian Erik Andersen, who heads the association's design committee. He said they look for original designs that fit well with the parade theme and will look good in flowers. Through several rounds of voting, the association's 59 members selected Burrow's undersea adventure.

Andersen said Burrow's sketch featured the whimsy, cuteness and humor the organization is seeking for next year's float.

"Burbank has had huge success with cartoony-style floats, so that appeals to us also," Andersen said. "Since we've done floats like this in the past, we knew we could be successful in building it and the community will embrace it."

A float like the one Burrow designed typically would run $200,000-$300,000 if it were constructed by a professional float builder, according to Andersen. The nonprofit Burbank association – an all-volunteer organization whose float building space is donated by Burbank Water and Power – can get that cost down to $60,000-$70,000, a portion of which is covered by the city and the rest through fundraisers, Andersen said.

Burrow and the design committee are perfecting his concept, adding some elements and refining others, essentially putting a story to the sketch, Andersen said. The committee also must figure out how the float will be built. Two other committees then will take up construction and decoration.

If there's any message out of all this, Burrow said, it's that people should try something they've always wanted to try and if it doesn't work out, approach it from a new angle.

"I like to look for different options, because sometimes when you play around with different options, new discoveries show up that you didn't think about," he said.

Architect Richard Burrow of Mission Viejo is "colorful," according to his son Austin, 21. Burrow shows off his award-winning 2013 Rose Parade float. The theme is, "Oh, the Places You'll Go," inspired by the Dr. Seuss book, and Burrow's "Under the Sea" design was the top pick by Burbank officials. CINDY YAMANAKA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Architect Richard Burrow loves that he can break rules in float design, unlike architecture. Burrow has submitted five other designs to self-build float makers (most floats are built by float-making companies that have their own design staffs, but a handful are self-build and rely on contests for designs), dating back to the 1980s. CINDY YAMANAKA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Local architect Richard Burrow submitted this winning entry, "Under the Sea," for the city of Burbank's contest to design its 2013 Rose Parade float. CINDY YAMANAKA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Richard Burrow of Mission Viejo with another one of his Rose Parade float designs. He was in the Cal Poly Pomona Rose Float Club 30 years ago. CINDY YAMANAKA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Richard Burrow's wife, Robin, is a marriage and family therapist. Son Austin, 21, attends Saddleback College. CINDY YAMANAKA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Richard Burrow of Mission Viejo with one of his many Rose Parade float designs at his home. Burrow began submitting designs to his alma mater, Cal Poly Pomona, in 1983. The university has a long tradition of building floats for the Rose Parade and holds a design competition. CINDY YAMANAKA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Rose Parade float designs grace the Mission Viejo home of Richard Burrow, shown here with his son Austin, 21. CINDY YAMANAKA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Richard Burrow of Mission Viejo in the office where he designs residential additions and custom homes and where he designed his winning Rose Parade float for Burbank. CINDY YAMANAKA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Parades are nothing new for Richard Burrow of Mission Viejo who participated in 360 Main Street Electrical Parades at Disneyland in the 1970s. He feels a connections with parades and designed a winning Rose Parade float for the city of Burbank. CINDY YAMANAKA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Creativity is seen throughout Richard Burrow's Mission Viejo home including these birth announcement cards for his two sons. CINDY YAMANAKA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Austin Burrow, 21, peruses his father Richard's work. Richard Burrow won a contest to design Burbank's 2013 Rose Parade float. CINDY YAMANAKA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Architect Richard Burrow, 53, of Mission Viejo, is more than a float designer. He also has designed custom homes such as this log home in Colorado. CINDY YAMANAKA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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